Means for supporting lamps



May 5, 1925.

H. H. MEYER, JR

MEANS FOR SUPPORTING LAMPS Filed Nov. 9. 1923 Patented May 5, 1925.

HERIJIAN H. MEYER, JR., OF NEVI YORK, N. Y.

MEANS FOR SUPPORTING LAMPS.

Application fried November To all i071 om t may concern.'

Be it known that l, HERMAN ll. Murau, Jr., a citizen ot the UnitedStates` residing at New York, in the county ot Bronx and State ot NewYork, have invented certain new and usetul Improvements in )leans torSui'rporting Lamps, ot which the following is a specification.

This application is, an improvement on my application Serial No.($20,475 which matured into the Patenty #1,50Lil8. The inventionr'elates to means tor' snppor'ting' a lamp. such as a spotlight lamp, ona windshield ot' an automobile, so that the lamp can be easily andconveniently n'ranipulated t'r'om within the car' to adjust the same todill'crent positions.

The main object of this invention is to pr'ovide a device, which will besimple and comparatively cheap to manufacture and which will be durableand elective.

lvith this objecty in view, my invention. consists in the novelcombination, construction and arrangement ot parts, as will behereinafter more fully described and detined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawirm` in which sinrilar reference charactersdenote corresponding parts, Fig. l is a longitudinal section of the lampapplied to a windshield by my device shown in side elevation; Fig. '2 across section on line @W2 ot Fig. l: Fig. l an enlarged longitudinalsection ot a part ot the device and ot the windshield; Fig. 4 a sideview ot a modilication of my device partly in section; Fig. 5 a tacevi'ew ot said modified device partly in section; Fig. (l a 'tace view otanother nroditied term ol1 my device and Fig. 7 a cross section on line7#7 oll Fig. (S.

Referring first to the modilication shown in Figs. Lil. XY denotes thcwindow or windshield ot a motor' vehicle having a cir'- cular opening inwhich the spotlight S is adapted to be supported by my improved device.The spotlight is carried. as usual, b v a sleeve or tube 'll thet'orward end ot which is formed to a socket T tor the bulb S and therear end ot' which provided with a suitable handle ll. lil denotes theelectric switch rnorrnted in said tribe 'l` and l'ormed at its lrontwith the contact members E and C denote the electric conductors orwires.

Mounted centrally on the tribe 'l` is a spherical element, as a ball B,ot' a size some- Serial No. 673.635.

what smaller than the circular opening in the windshield and adapted tobe retained in the opening' to form a universal joint t'or thespotlight.

Thus tar the construction is well known.

My new device comprises a socket i'ormcd ot two uniformly sized ringshaped members l() of thin sheet metal or other suitable resilientmaterial. ln its outer diameter, eacl ringv is made to be slightlysmaller than the diameter ot the opening, so as to lit therein. The bodyof the ring member' is not llat, but curved laterally, as at lo',assuming the shape resembling a truncated cone, the inner' or' smallerdiameter ol which is somewhat smaller' than the diameter' ot' the ball,so that when said members are mounted trom opposite sides onto the ball,the narrower ends thereof will engage the ball ar'onnd circles smaller'than the meridian and the two members will thus together torni a sockettor the ball. he conical curvature will impart to the ring body such aresiliency as will enable the latter' to be dr'awn or pressed toward themeridian to hold the ball sutticiently tight and thus prevent the lamptrom becoming displaced Yl'rom its adjusted position. The two ringmembers are adapted to be mounted on the ball parallel to one anotherwith their' nar'- rower ends extending in opposite directions and withtheir' wider' ends spaced apart as at .r a distance somewhat smallerthan the thickness ot the windshield. ln this position, the two ringmembers l() ar'e adapted to be locked by a resilient element. such as asplit member' 1l. also of thin sheet metal or other' resilient materialand ot' substantially Ushapcd cross section.

The channel ll ot said split member' made wir e enough to engage aroundthe wider' or outer' ends of the members l() when mounted on the ball,as hercinbetore stated, and the side walls ol' said channel or theflanges ll2 ar'e ot such a length as to bear with their' inner or lower'edges on the curved surfaces l0 ot the ring members l0 (Fig. 3). lnuncontracted condition, when placed around the members 10. the splitmember' ll will have its ends spread a )art a short distance. say aboutl ot' an inch. This will permit the split member' lo be easily placedaround or' disengaged from the members lt). By contracting or closingthe split member ll` the members l0 will be drawn together and tightlyengage the ball l. In this tightened position, the ends ot' the splitmember can be soldered or other wise joined by suitable means, as at 12(Fig. The socket thus lnoduced is held in the opening O of thewindshield in a similar manner to that shown in my atorenamed earlierapplication, to wit: by means of rigid washers or rings 1.25 joinedtogether by bolts 14. These bolts are adagted to be passed throughpertorations or recesses provided in the members 10 and 11. Ring gaskets(not shown) ot suitable material may le used between the outer washers13. the windshield lV and the socket 10, 11. in order to enable theproper tightening ot the latter in position.

By making the split member 11 slightly broader than the opening t), theside rings 13. when tightened. will press against the sides or flangest1 oi' thx Uwshaped membe;A and the latter in turn will be pressed onthe curved faces 10 ot the members 10, thereby pressing the latter moreell'ectivrly against the ball surface.

The moditi ation shown in Fig'. l is, with the exception ot' a speciallock to be presently described, similar to the construction shown in mycopending' application hereinbefore referred to. Here the socket 'torthe ball B consists of a single split annular meniber 15 stamped ot thinresilient sheet metal or the like to torni a channelled body the sidewalls l ot' which ae, cmwd to be sulstantially cone shaped. rl`hediameter ot the lateral openings somewhat si'naller than that ot theball l. The member 15 is so admcasured that in nncontracted conditionits rim will loosely tit in the opening ot the windshield and engagearound the ball with its lateral ends extending around circles of saidball smaller than its meridian. The ring is recessed, as at 152, for thepassage ot the screw bolts ll used t'or joining the outer discs or rings13 together. For locking the split members in tightened rendition. whenmounted on the ball, l provide a circularly curved metal element, suchas a band 16, whose ends are bent to torm hooks 1G. The, band in widthis about equal to that of the rim ot' the member 15 and in length soadmeasured that the hooks will engage adjacent recesses 152 ot the splitmember. when the latter is contracted to lit tightly around the ball.

This socket with the ball seated in it is secured in the opening ot thewindshield in the atoredescribed manner b v the discs or washers 123.

In the modification shown in Figs. and 7, the socket is composed ot' twoseparate solid annular members 17 shaped like the members in Figs. 1, 2and S and are joined together around the ball b Y a split annular member18 of Ushaped cross section whose sides are recessed to torni springtongues 1t).

The split` ends of the member lo are adapted to overlap one another,when closed around the members 1i' and to be soldered to the bodyportion, as at 2t), s0 as to term a solid ring. lvhen compressed againstthe members 17, the spring tongues will tighten the socket on the ball`The socket is secured in place in the opening t) otl the windshield inthe atoredescribed manner, the bolts 1l being passed through rer-esse;`17 of the rings and through the spaces between adjoining tongues 1S).lre'era ily gaskets 21 ot cork or the like may be mounted on the ball Bto till the space between the adjoining members li'.

li'hat I claim is:-

1. ln a device tor supporting a spotlight in the windshield ot anautomobile. a st iherical element and a socket thereto adapted to beretained in said windshield. said socket comprising two resilientannular membersr having late ally curved parts engaging around saidspherial element and a resilient band embracing said members andtightening them on said spherical eleu ent.

2. In a device for supportinf'gl a spotlight in the windshield ot' anautomobile. a spherical element and a socket therefor comprising twoannular members engaging ar mnd said spherical element, tireularlycurved means circuml'erentially applied to said annular members fortightening the same around said spherical element and means lixed to thewindshield for holding said socket in position therein.

3. In a device for supporting a spotlight in the, `windshield ol anautomobile, a spheriA cal element and a socket therefor compri twoannular members engaging around sai-z spherical element, a third annularmember having tongues adapted to be tightened around said tirst namedannular members to compress the latte' and means lixed to the windshieldt'or holding said socket in position therein.

In testimony whereoiI l atlix my ture in presence ot two witnesses.

HERMAN ll. MCYC I. la.

vit nesses MAX D. OnnMANN, .lossen T. McMauoN.

signaltlt) llt)

